whichwaysup Posted June 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2018 Got an update from Brett on this - waiting for pics an will post them up when I get them. He has extended the stringers and beefed up the knees that connect the transom to the hull. We're making progress. Fixing the issue and making her stronger than ever back there. Probably overkill, but I don't ever want to worry about this again, and I wouldn't want a future buyer to, either. Pics to follow as soon as I get them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2018 Met with Brett in person last weekend and discussed the plan to move forward. We ran into an issue with the stringer extension, which would have trapped water on the outside edge of the stringers - not good to have standing water there with nowhere to go. We're going to run channels through the stringers to allow all the water to drain through. I'm curious if this is an issue with the later models or if there is drainage. I also decided to replace the plastic through hulls with brass, replace the throttle cables, and replace the pumps and hoses. Going to hold off on the rewiring for now - an inspection of the wires showed them in remarkably good condition and when I have this done, I'll probably have it done by a specialist. Since it doesnt' need work, I'll address it later. Fuel tank is in very good shape, so she'll stay in there as well. Boat was clearly not used much prior to my buying it. Below you can see her current status - bottom has been ground down and is ready for the stringer extensions and channels to be run. Next set of pics should start to get interesting. Big thanks to Nag for running up there this weekend and taking a look! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justfish Posted July 2, 2018 Report Share Posted July 2, 2018 Sorry your having to deal with this but cool stuff to watch. Sorry if I missed it, but any better idea of the cause of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2018 4 hours ago, justfish said: Sorry your having to deal with this but cool stuff to watch. Sorry if I missed it, but any better idea of the cause of this? There are a lot of theories on it, but no clear cause. Here are the primary contenders as "cause:" - Surveyor/insurance adjuster: Manufacturing defect caused by laying stringers and having the resin fire off too soon. - Boat repair guys: "What the hell?? Why wouldn't they run those stringers all the way back to the transom?" - Boat repair guys: "Forward trim tab screws penetrated the hull (of course) AND the box stringer allowing water to seep into the stringer and soak the foam. Given enough time, standing water will cause fiberglass to become brittle and weaken. The stringer foam was completely soaked when they ground out the tabbing and raised it - took a while to dry it out. Oh, and why the hell didn't they run those stringers all the way back??" - My trailer bunks don't extend past the transom, and they end suspiciously close to where the stringer ends and ultimately broke loose. Coincidence? - God decided I needed to spend more time with the family. After multiple hints, he simply took my boat away until I could behave like a real grown up. Thus the extended time to get the boat fixed (going on 7 months now since the discovery of the issue). I'm personally going with this last one, because 1) there doesn't seem to be a broad issue with this with 18's, and 2) it's been a (painful) blessing in disguise to be without the boat for awhile. It's easy to get caught up in being a psycho fishing guy when you are 5 minutes from a ramp and sitting in striking distance of a lot of fish, but these last 7 months I've spent more time being a good husband and a better dad, so at the end of the day, things happen for a reason. Lost a hell of a lot of weight surfing with the kids 3 times a week or more, and that dawn patrol time with them is solid gold. Don't go thinking that I'm not a neurotic mess over getting this thing fixed and fixed right. Just ask Nagjuice. I'm like a jealous boyfriend and some dude has his hands all over my girl and won't give her back to me. Dang I like this boat and she'll be better than new when I get her finished, but it's been an eternity since I felt that joy of sitting behind my own console and saying "Giddyup, girl!" Now, back to that honey-do list . . . 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 Who says that stringers cant be sexy??? Making progress, stringers are now fully tabbed in, channels made for water to drain from the areas outside of the stringers, stringers have been extended back to the transom and tied into the transom support knees. Through hulls are being replaced, throttle/shifter are being replaced, new hoses and pumps going in, we are getting close to putting her back together! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 Looks great Gus! Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 Thabks, but not me doing this one. I am all about using the pros when it comes to this stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted July 15, 2018 Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 slow but sure progress...what is the ETD for the skiff back in your hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 1 hour ago, Wanaflatsfish said: slow but sure progress...what is the ETD for the skiff back in your hands? Whenever he finishes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 We're making progress. The stringers have been fully attached and extended, and the bilge has been painted. One of the other improvements we're making is painting the entire bilge area - gunnel to gunnel. Previously, only the center of the bilge had been painted, but water that got trapped on the outside of the stringers sat on the raw fiberglass. We've run channels through the stringers to allow water to drain from the outside areas to the center of the bilge, but knowing that not all water will drain, the paint will protect the glass and keep it from getting brittle. New pumps going in this a.m., and she should start going back together soon. Still need to address the crack in the bottom along the chine, replace the throttle/shifter, install the new seacocks, hoses, through hulls, and build a new battery box to replace the cracked one. Someday, I may actually have my boat back! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCalf Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Looking better than new! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyBottomBluz Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 It is looking good! Keep the documentation and picture library up to date cause that will help immensely with the resale value of the boat in the future. I have a feeling will will know when you get it back, although we might not hear from you for a while after that because you will be out in it, gotta alotta time to make up! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 18 minutes ago, MuddyBottomBluz said: It is looking good! Keep the documentation and picture library up to date cause that will help immensely with the resale value of the boat in the future. I have a feeling will will know when you get it back, although we might not hear from you for a while after that because you will be out in it, gotta alotta time to make up! Agree on that, Muddy. While I have absolutely no intention of selling her, I am trying to make sure that everything being done is well documented and anything I miss you all can point out. As you can tell, we are taking our time on this, getting it right, getting feedback, making sure we don't cause new issues as we address old ones. And yes, when she is done, I will have a lot of work to do. Apparently the fish stocks locally have risen to the point of being an annoyance. Hoards of redfish and trout have become a scourge since I've been landlocked. Gotta get back to work on those fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurricane Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Now lets see you keep that bilge that white.............................Looks good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Looks good Gus - as said above, better than new. I would even venture to say that you will probably notice a more solid feel/sound in the ride, when running at speed, on top of a chop. Not that the ride isn't already awesome in a MA 18! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 1 hour ago, hurricane said: Now lets see you keep that bilge that white.............................Looks good. I am going to put a bigger hatch in the splashwell so I can get in there with my q-tips and toothbrush! Btw, do you have that link to the hatch you have? I swear I just saw it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 That thing is looking good . Does it have a passage for water to get from the outside of the stringers to the center of the hull and empty out the drain plug ? I could see one in the pictures . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 56 minutes ago, dabear said: That thing is looking good . Does it have a passage for water to get from the outside of the stringers to the center of the hull and empty out the drain plug ? I could see one in the pictures . yes it does, definitely hard to see in the pics after painting. You can see it in the earlier pics before painting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Great just wanted to make sure the water could get out . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captpn Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 2 hours ago, whichwaysup said: Btw, do you have that link to the hatch you have? I swear I just saw it! page 6 has a few http://epmarine.com/catalogs/HMG_Catalog.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justfish Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 forget the access hatch, have him make the whole repair hinged so you can change a pump and clean that bilge with eaaaaase Looking great. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted July 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Lol, I like that idea. I would be the envy of every boat mechanic and have the cleanest bilge of anyone (which of course is what we all strive for in life). . . . right upnuntil the boat broke in half. . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 I had an old Scout where the whole back deck was on a slide, best bilge I ever worked in. Heck, since you’re going all out make the rear deck like those fancy offshore race boat engine bay. Tap a button and the whole thing lifts up😁. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.N Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 Does he still have the crack to patch up along the lifting strake? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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